Friday, August 28, 2015

THE COMBAT AIRLIFTER CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT will take ads
by phone from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday 982-9421, or you may mail
your ad to 404 Graham Rd., Jacksonville, Ark. 72078. You may also e-mail them
to combatairlifterclassifieds@arkansasleader.com Deadline to advertise in
Friday’s issue is 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Motivated volunteers are needed for the third annual Diversity Day slated for January. Planning meetings are set for 1 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday in Bldg. 430 Passenger Room 1. The event will encompass all 10 federal observances, including Women’s History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and Black History Month, and there are committees for each observance. For more information, email the event project officer, Capt. Tarah Mitchell, at tarah.mitchell.1@us.af.mil.

Scam alert

The Defense Health Agency, Office of Program Integrity has identified a scam that is targeting TRICARE beneficiaries. This scam asks beneficiaries to become TRICARE “Secret Shoppers.” Beneficiaries may receive a letter along with a fake check from Wisconsin Physician Services in the amount of $3,775, along with instructions on what to do with the check. These letters and checks are bogus, and individuals who participate in the “program” may become liable for payment to the bank. For more information, see “TRICARE Beneficiaries Being Targeted by Fraudulent Secret Shopper Offer” at http://www.health.mil/News/. Beneficiaries who receive these fraudulent letters are asked to report them to DHA Program Integrity at http://www.health.mil.

Family Care Plan

In accordance with AFI 36-2908, Family Care Plans, single parents, dual military couples with family members and members with civilian spouses who have unique family situations, as determined by the commander or first sergeant, must have a documented family care plan on file. Those who have status changes that require a family care plan must contact their unit first sergeant to start a plan or ensure current plans are current.

Airmen from the 714th Training Squadron, 48th Airlift Squadron and 62nd Airlift Squadron squared off for a “Turkey Shoot” competition Aug. 20 testing their airdrop expertise in a series of competition events.

The annual local combat airlift pitted the rivals against one another in timed events including several airdrops, assault landings and the loading of Humvees. Time of arrival, drop scores and landing scores were calculated to determine an overall a winner. Competing aircrews were given details about the event approximately 24 hours prior to the start.

The 62nd AS took the award for the best time of arrival and time on-target. The 48th AS achieved closest assault landing on target and the fastest loading of a Humvee. The 714th TRS landed the best drop score.

“Time to targets and on-call airdrops to a drop zone are things we are doing in real world operations like Africa or Afghanistan,” said Maj. Brad Buinicky, 48th Airlift Squadron assistant director of operations, a Turkey Shoot umpire. “The real spirit of these competitions is a desire for us to not only develop ourselves, but develop our community as well.

I thought that there was very good grading criteria [for this event], because these things matter in real-world operations,” he said.

The initial air drop on the agenda was over the Fort Chaffee Drop Zone and then crews flew to the All-American Landing Zone/Drop Zone at Camp Robinson, Arkansas.

An umpire was placed on each aircraft with the crewmembers to grade their performances. Level of experience dictates the umpire selection, their judgement is used to oversee operations.

The 48th AS took home bragging rights while the 62nd AS and 714th TRS have their sights set toward next year’s victory.

It turns out that Morale, Welfare and Recreation’s Outdoor Recreation is not all fun and games.

Of course they have the “fun” stuff like equipment for camping and bean bag toss, horse stables, exciting trips around the Natural State and rentals like boats, sports equipment and “Big Larry” the water slide.

They also provide a treasure trove of tools and equipment that provide quicker ways to do weekend do-it-yourself projects like caring yards, decks and gardens. In particular they regularly rent heavy duty tools such as lawn mowers and aerators, stump grinders, power washers and tillers.

While these things don’t have much to do with recreation, they do allow Team Little Rock members to finish many “honey-do” projects many need to complete before enjoying some hard-earned recreation offerings.

Director Ken Dickson even provides “How-to” videos on Outdoor Recreation’s website, it even easier to use the equipment and make onerous work go more smoothly.

He said the lawn and garden equipment rental is pretty big right now, and sometimes wear and tear on the equipment, plus user error can stall a project.

“We came up with the idea of showing people how to use the equipment with “How-to” videos through our marketing department. Mr. Shelby, who’s worked here for 30 years, is our ‘Equipment Whisperer,’ and he can get things started like that (finger snap). That’s why he’s in the videos showing people how to use the machinery.”

“If you have an issue with our equipment, you can go to our website, or YouTube, Rockin’ at the Rock, and there are the videos,” he said.

The lawn and garden equipment videos have been up just about a month now, and 19th FSS Marketing Director Monica Young says she’s received positive feedback that the videos are a “great idea” and that they’ve been very helpful.

Digital Media Specialist Jason Peters filmed the videos and tracks them on the web page at 129 views so far. He said the videos started with a recommendation from a customer, who suggested putting photos of the equipment on Outdoor Recreation’s website so people could see exactly what was offered.

“We decided to go one better by posting photos and doing the videos as a way to both let the customers see what we have and help them in case they forget the instructions Ken’s people give at the time of rental. That way we know we have truly set our customers up for success when they rent from Outdoor Recreation.”

Following this success Dickson is also thinking of branching out into “How-to” videos for other things. He plans to walk through a camper to show people things like it has to be level for the refrigerator to work and how to use the air conditioner.

“Another thing we’ll probably do a “How-to” video on is how to use our trailers. We really push our trailers as they are one thing that rents year round, they have really boomed,” he said.

And, he wants to do a video showing people how to properly put up a moonwalk.

“Each moonwalk has flaps on it,” Dickson said. “You have to close the flaps, or it will not inflate all the way. We’ve had constant calls that there are big holes in the moonwalks, but then we get them back with no holes, they just didn’t close the flaps.”

Moonwalks and campers are just part of the recreation equipment Team Little Rock personnel can rent from Outdoor Recreation.

“In the last year and a half we’ve bought new waterslides – you can see Big Larry the water slide around as his dance card is always full – then we listened to our customers who asked for a car hauler, and we bought a car hauler,” Dickson said. “It has paid for itself.”

Then there’s “Leroy,” the 17-foot enclosed cargo trailer that customers also wanted, which is out all of the time as well.

“We also just got these brand new, what they call giant bikes (mountain bikes with bigger tires), that rent pretty well – when it’s not 125 degrees outside. We have different sizes, and we’ve had units rent them for squadron fitness.,” said Dickson said.

“We are also looking at getting hunting equipment, as we sell the licenses here – hunting and fishing, state and base – then we’ll have the equipment as well for a one-stop shop.”

When Dickson shops for new equipment, he does his research and goes “industrial strength” to make the items last longer for their investment.

“We have to go with a better brand to withstand the punishment of being rented all the time. The power washers we had weren’t lasting as they were for home use and the motors would die. These we have now are heavy duty washers,” he said.

Of course Outdoor Recreation has other things like boats and camping supplies to finish out the summer, as well as tables and chairs, turkey fryers and smokers and even Santa suits available for the upcoming holiday season.

Dickson is also looking to the future for new trips to be available, as they’ve recently hired a new program planner.

“We are going to revamp our trips, as we’ve been doing the same things for about two years now. We’re going to try to mix it up, go to different state parks and take hiking trips, different things like that. We’re also going to be really listening to the airmen to see what they want to do, as it’s really important to me to do more outdoor adventures for them.”

For more information about all that Outdoor Recreation has to offer, call 987-3365, or look them up online at http://www.rockinattherock.com/Outdoor_Recreation.shtml.

Work continues on the $117 million runway replacement construction project. The project will replace the current runway that was built in the late 1950s.

Initial construction began during the fall of 2014. The project is divided into six phases with varying active runway configurations and construction areas.

“Currently, the project is nearing completion of Phase One,” said Capt. Sean Stuntz, 19th Civil Engineer Squadron. “The contractor’s next major task is to pave and stripe the temporary taxiway. Phase Two is scheduled to begin in early September.”

The Department of Defense is working with an Arizona-based construction company to build and replace the 2.3-mile runway, assault landing strip and taxiways at Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville.

“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to effectively manage the project and inspect the quality of the contractor’s work,” Stuntz said.

“Their active oversight and leadership ensure the delivery of a product that will sustain the base’s training and operational missions.”

Portions of the runway will be under construction while other parts continue to be operational. Though there will be temporary airfield closures to perform work close to the runway, there will be no detrimental impact to airfield operations and flying training throughout the six phases.

“We will continue to work with agencies across base to alter flying and ground operations,” said Lt. Col. Daniel Brown, 19th Operations Support Squadron commander. “We have also been able to utilize community airports throughout Arkansas and several army posts to continue combat airlift and training operations.”

Along with keeping C-130s flying, Airmen are also ensuring safety during construction.

“Keeping the base and all construction sites secure is a top priority,” Stuntz said. “The 19th Security Forces Squadron troops, security contractors and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers personnel are onsite at all active work locations.”

The project is being funded through the Air Force’s operations and maintenance fund, and managed by the Little Rock District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The entire runway project is slated for an April 2017 completion.

Friday, August 21, 2015

THE COMBAT AIRLIFTER CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT will take ads
by phone from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday 982-9421, or you may mail
your ad to 404 Graham Rd., Jacksonville, Ark. 72078. You may also e-mail them
to combatairlifterclassifieds@arkansasleader.com Deadline to advertise in
Friday╒s
issue is 5 p.m. Tuesday.

BEAUTIFUL HOME for Rent or Sale: 3 bedroom, 2 bath, Cabot
School District, very nice hardwood floors; good storage. Pictures upon request
or available at Craigslist. Located at 9 Geraldine St. in Ward. $900 mo. rent
or $100,000 sale price. No smoking. Call (870) 897-2197.

In accordance with AFI 36-2908, Family Care Plans, single parents, dual military couples with family members and members with civilian spouses who have unique family situations, as determined by the commander or first sergeant, must have a documented family care plan on file. Those who have status changes that require a family care plan must contact their unit first sergeant to start a plan or ensure current plans are current.

Account Manager

Little Rock AFB Chapel is seeking a part-time contracted Account Manager for its Chapel Tithes and Offering Funds (CTOF). The individual is required to budget and account for all CTOF assets, income, and expenditures. Experience as an accountant/bookkeeper and in accounting procedures is desired. An associate degree in business or general public accounting is preferred, but not required. Background checks will be required as directed by DODI 1402. The award of this contract will be based upon the “best value” to the government. Bid documents and application packets can be obtained from the Chapel Bldg 950, from 7:30 a.m. till noon and 1 till 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday. Monthly pay is determined by sealed bid. All sealed bids must be received by the Chapel no later than 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 31. For more information or bid submission for this contract position, contact Master Sgt. Juan Santoy or Staff Sgt. Alison Cline at the Base Chapel at 987-6014.

SNCO induction Sept. 18

The Senior NCO Induction Ceremony honoring all 2015 master sergeant selectees is Sept. 18 at the Embassy Suites in Little Rock. The social hour is 6 p.m. This year’s theme is “A Legacy of Servant Leadership.” Dress for the event is mess dress for military/formal attire for civilians. Cost is $35 per person. See unit first sergeants for tickets and more information.

A repair crew of 16 military and civilian members from the 19th Civil Engineer Squadron were knee deep in mud and muck early last Saturday morning fixing a water main break on Arnold Drive that affected base housing and many of the base’s commercial facilities.

“I could not be more impressed with how our team handled the situation,” said. Col. Chip Brown, 19th Airlift Wing commander. “We had a huge muscle movement on the weekend, taking folks away from their families, to come in and resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Thanks to our Bioenvironmental Flight and Civil Engineer Squadron, we were able to minimize impact to the community at large because of timely response, communication and execution. The entire team did a phenomenal job.”

Thanks to the swift response of the CE team, craftsmen fixed the broken pipe, restoring water service by noon Saturday. Though the break spilled approximately 650,000 gallons of water; no base facilities were damaged.

“Waking up to a phone call at 4 a.m. on a Saturday and hearing that you need to be in to work ASAP for an emergency water break is an uneasy feeling,” said Staff Sgt. Nicholas Miller, 19th CES Water & Fuel Systems Maintenance superintendent. “However, our team responded expeditiously and maintained a positive and professional attitude throughout the 12-hour day.”

Miller said his team continuously trains to dampen the mission impact and inconvenience that situations like this water main break can cause.

“[Training] played a tremendous role in executing this repair safely and correctly,” he said.

“All craftsmen were aware of the impact of this water break, and the importance of restoring the water as quickly as possible.”

The precautionary boil-water order was issued Saturday afternoon as a result of the water outage and continued until Tuesday afternoon. Under Arkansas Department of Health Policy, a precautionary boil order is necessary anytime a significant population is effected by a complete loss of water pressure for longer than two hours to minimize the impact of any bacterial contamination.

Base bioenvironmental experts from the 19th Aerospace Medical Squadron conducted water sampling in affected areas to measure disinfectant chlorine following full resumption of water service on Saturday afternoon. This sampling was performed in accordance with Arkansas Department of Health Policy.

“No health threat or risk has been identified or suspected,” said Maj. Casey Cooper, Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight commander. “The boil-water notice was issued as a precautionary measure. Water on Little Rock Air Force Base meets or exceeds standards established by federal, state and Air Force regulations.”

The reason for a boil order and monitoring of a water system after a loss of water pressure is because water pressure provides water service (pushes the water through the pipes) and prevents the possibility of unhealthy contaminants and microbial organisms from entering the water system, Cooper said.

Base bioenvironmental experts vigorously test the base water supply to ensure the health and safety of Team Little Rock Airmen and their families. Child and youth center facilities are sampled monthly for bacteriological contamination and were also sampled in response to this water main break. Representative samples are also collected monthly from the base water distribution system.

Cooper said customers who notice discoloration in their water should allow their taps to run for at least five minutes to clear facility piping systems. All areas of the Little Rock Air Force Base water system are sampled for bacterial contaminants once per month. Disinfectant chlorine levels in the water system are continuously monitored by Civil Engineering.

Individuals interested in the base’s water quality can access the Annual Consumer Confidence Report at http://www.littlerock.af.mil or by calling Bioenvironmental Engineering directly at 501-987-7398.

Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas – The Air Force selected 233 Team Little Rock senior airmen for promotion to staff sergeant Thursday. Air Force-wide 13,269 were selected for promotion to staff sergeant out of 39,260 considered during the 15E5 cycle, for a 33.8 percent selection rate.
This is the first staff sergeant promotion cycle to incorporate such Weighted Airman Promotion System changes as minimum promotion fitness examination and skills knowledge test scores, as well as lower time in service and time in grade.

Selectees will be promoted according to their promotion sequence number. Sequence - or line - numbers are updated on or around the 15th of each month.